Susan
by Rue-Ryuzaki
Summary: There's a reason why, out of all the people he had ever met, she had been the only one allowed to call him by that name. Mandark x Bell, based on the PPGD...


I may not be the biggest fan out there of Bleedman's PPGD, but I do like it. I've been a long time fan of Dexter's Lab, Mandark especially, so I loved his inclusion in it. As for Bell, well... There's a reason she's a fan-favorite...

Regardless of that, this is just something I came up with while reading the chaps, trying to see a little more into the relationship which could have been developed between Mandark and Bell. Since aside from him working alongside her, and Bell getting hearts floating a top her head while looking at him, we didn't get much. Still, I was rather curious at the fact that she called him Susan, considering how much he hated that name. And thus, this story was born...

* * *

Susan…

The name his parents had given him and engraved onto him when he was first brought into this accursed world, which had only served to cause him further pain and humiliation. He loathed that name; it was a name for a girl, not a man with his dark brilliance.

At first, he tried to just live with it, since his parents had been the ones to choose it, not him, maybe others would understand. Such was not the case. His rival, the young self-proclaimed boy genius who lived in the same street as him was the first to mock him, driving him of the edge and wanting nothing more than revenge. Thus, he discarded the name and took in the name Mandark, a much more fitting name for one like himself.

From there on, no one would ever mock his name or call him 'Susan' again. And no one did, not even Dee Dee, the one person Mandark may have let it slip on occasions, but she too would call him Mandark. All was good for the time being, and as time went by, he completely forgot about the name he had once been called by.

That is, until she came along…

Bell.

She would call him Susan; despite how many times he tried for her too call him Mandark, to no avail. But what he found insulting in that scenario was not what he had expected. He had thought that the fact that this girl would be hell-bent on calling him by that name would drive him mad, but no, he actually allowed it. She didn't use a sarcastic tone, nor did she use mockery. She said his name in a tender form, something he would have not expected from a girl with her psychopathic persona. Stil…

The first time she said his name it was because he had let it slip…

-

"_Does it suit your tastes?" A deep dark voice spoke up, as he shifted his view to meet his. Alongside him stood Dr. X, an alias if he had ever heard one, though it didn't bother him. He too had his own alias, Mandark, which had now became his real and only identity after having long discarded the name Susan Astronomonov._

_While he hadn't expected much from it, since the place could be used for his experiments, it was still far too pathetic to be called a laboratory. The smell alone of rust and oil only furthered his opinion, though he refrained from mentioning any of it. He knew part of his role now was to fix this all up, among other things._

"_It'll have to do…" Was his only response, glancing around the area which Dr. X had given to him. "So…" Mandark turned to look back at the taller man, who only glanced down slightly. "You mentioned something about a council, where are the rest?"_

"_All in do time." Dr. X spoke up. "You will get to know them in a much more personal matter soon. I will need you to be working alongside many of them and even help them if possible. After all, you are a part of the Darkstar Council now. It is the first step towards getting your revenge…"_

_Mandark narrowed his eyes. He mustn't forget why he accepted this offer, why he had come here. After the death of his beloved, Dee Dee, he had become lost. Now, with the help of this man, he could finally get his revenge on the one responsible, Dexter. He could see it all now; it was all going to work out._

"_Ah, Bell." Dr. X spoke up, in a much sweeter voice than what Mandark had heard him previously use. Mandark turned around and saw the white haired, white eyed and white dressed young girl standing mere feet from them. He wondered how she got there without him even noticing. "So you've finally joined us today, hm." Dr. X turned to face his "daughter", or whatever relationship they shared. "Did you sleep well?"_

_Her only response was a simple nod. Her eyes shifting from her father's to Mandark, then back to her father again. "You remember Mandark, do you not?" Another nod was the response, while Mandark just watched. He remembered seeing her descending from the sky in an angel getup, even with a poorly made halo, extending her hand out to him. Even then, she hadn't spoken a word, just taking him to her father who did all the talking._

"_Well then." Dr. X continued. "I'll let you do your thing here, Mandark." With those words spoken, he began to walk away, but not before turning his attention to his daughter. "Make sure to assist him if he needs anything Bell."_

_With that said, he left, leaving Mandark feeling slightly uneasy. With all the people he had to let him with, why with her? He hadn't even heard her talk, though Dr. X assured him she was no mute. How could she possibly assist him? The only times she did something was because Dr. X had ordered it._

_He turned back to look at the girl, noticing that she hadn't moved an inch and was staring directly at him. The awkward silence between them, for him anyway, prompted Mandark to either try to make her speak or at least make her leave. "So…" He started, wondering what to say. Speaking to girls had never been his forte. "Your name is Bell, right?"_

_No response. She didn't even nod this time. His eyes narrowed. "Yeah… I'm Mandark. But I think Dr. X already told you about it. X… Not a bad alias, though a prefer names with meaning, like Mandark. A real man's name… unlike Susan…"_

"_Susan?"_

_He froze, slowly turning to face the young girl which had finally muttered a word. Her voice was so childlike, so innocent. But why out of anything that could have caught her interest did it have to be that? "Your name is Susan?"_

"_Was. I told you I'm called Mandark." He sighed. Why did everybody have to find out about that? Why did he have to let that name slip? "But it was Susan then?" Bell continued, much to Mandark's dismay. Now he wanted her to shut up, ironic. "And you changed it to Mandark?…"_

"_Yeah…" Here it comes, he thought to himself. As always, they would just ponder things for a while before bursting out laughing and mocking his birth name. Damn it all._

"_I like Susan better."_

_His eyes widened slightly, turning back at Bell, who slowly began walking towards him. He just stared, as she got closer. "W-Why?" He muttered. Why would anyone like the name Susan better than Mandark, it was a girl's name damn it. "Because it's cuter."_

_He just blinked. Twice. "Cuter?"_

"_From now one, I'll call you Susan. Okay?" Her eyes brightened up as she cocked her head to the side. It was the childish mannerisms she had that made him subconsciously think how cute she was. "I really rather you didn't-"_

"_Now we can be friends!" She smiled, completely ignoring what he had tried to say. Despite the fact how much he hated to think what it would be like to be called 'Susan', he just couldn't tell her no. If he did, she would probably become quiet and antisocial as she had been, and as much as he hated to admit it he rather liked having someone like her to talk to. "Yeah…" He sighed, defeated. "Friends…"_

-

What had started as an accident on his part became routinely for them later on. She would call him by his given name, and he would answer. Sometimes she called him to play, other times to simply show him something she had created, mimicking his own inventions. Still, regardless of what he may have though a couple of years back, he couldn't have asked for a better lab partner…

-

"_Where do you want this one…?"_

_Bell's voice filled the now bigger and better laboratory which Mandark had come to call home. As Mandark shifted his view from the many computer screens, upgrading things was a hassle, his eyes slightly widened when he saw that she had a rather large reactor a top her head holding it his just one hand. He would have been more shocked it Dr. X hadn't explained of her "super powers" which seemed to surpass those of three super heroines he had heard of sometime ago. "Ah…" He thought for a moment, wondering where said reactor would be better off at. "Place it over there." He said, pointing at the destined direction with his index finger. "Near the blueprints for the project Black Eden and the circuit drive."_

"_Huh?"_

"…_Next to the blue paper and cable thingies…"_

"_Oh… Why didn't you say it like that?" With a wide smile, which he had only previously seen her wearing only when she was with either her father or the stuffed animal, she placed the reactor down, somewhat gently, and made her way back towards him._

"_Susan?" She spoke up, as he turned to face her. "What are you going to do now?"_

"_Well…" He thought for a moment, his to do list was awfully filled. "I think I'll start by finishing these upgrades, then I'll see what new modifications I can make for the council members, since Samantha's getting impatient, then I suppose I can try to work on the self-destruction mechanism of this laboratory, since last night they nearly went off on their own… Why? Did you want…?"_

_By the time he had finished and turned to face the white powerpuff, she was already busy playing what he thought was imaginary hopscotch, apparently winning since she could fly when needed. He was about to ask if he was even paying attention, but she spoke first. "Sounds boring, play with me."_

"_Bell. I'm very busy." He wasn't lying; Dr. X had been clear on that matter. The man may be tolerable and understanding, but he was very strict when it came to deadlines. "We'll, erm, play when I finish."_

"_But that takes too long, you're too perfect…" He assumed she meant "perfectionist", but he didn't bother correcting. He also found it quite hard to tell her no, since she would just continue pestering him until he agreed._

_Bell then gently floated up, turning herself upside down and placing herself in front of him, her eyes in the same level as his. "Just for a little but, please…"_

_He blushed, turning his head slightly. It wasn't so much the fact her tone, though he knew it was cute, but more over the fact that she was currently upside down oblivious to the fact that she was wearing a very short skirt which was now completely upside down as well. "Fine! Fine! We can play, just get back down."_

"_Yay!!!" She shouted, a bit louder than necessary, as she got back down and grabbed him by the arm to take him to wherever it was she wanted to play at. He just sighed, wondering if she was really that innocent or if she purposely did those things because she knew how he would react. No use wondering that now, was there…_

-

After Dee Dee's untimely demise during his final struggle against her no good younger brother, Mandark had been sure that every feeling of love and care in him had gone to the grave alongside her. And that had been true, to an extent. His personality, as he himself noticed, had become colder. He would only talk when necessary, do what was necessary, and nothing else. Even his trademark laugh became largely unused, since he no longer had much reason to celebrate. At least, most of the time.

Whenever Bell came to visit at his laboratory, more often than not because she wanted to play, he felt a slight feeling of happiness. It was even evident at the fact that he had come to expect her arrivals, and on the rare occasions she didn't show, having been sent by her father to do something or the other, he missed her company. Peace and quiet in a world filled with loneliness is not all that good.

Because of this, she continued to call him Susan, continued to pester him into playing whatever game she came up with, and continue to be the one person he openly trusted.

He had a feeling Dr. X had been hiding things from him; he wasn't a genius for nothing. The man had bigger goals in mind, some he deemed unnecessary to discuss with those below him, which was pretty much everybody on Earth aside from Bell. Still, he didn't really mind or care. He had his own goal, and as long as Dr. X helped him achieve it, he'd be content. Bell, however, was different. What had begun as an awkward silence between the two became a strong trust where she would tell him anything and everything that was on her mind. Most of the time said things being just simple thoughts and dreams, other times her words were more serious, slightly surprising him.

He, too, found himself opening up to her, speaking to her about things he had never told anyone else before. He spoke to her about his parents, his sister Olga, his childhood and many of his clashes with his rival Dexter. He told her many things. How he had to team up with Dexter on occasions, how his duck had once fallen in love with Dexter's monkey (something which she laughed about) and even about Dee Dee and what had happened between the three.

He hadn't understood why, the first time he spoke about her, Bell became silent, frowned, and downright refused to speak to him for the rest of the day. Even a genius such as himself was left rather dumbfounded at her actions, though mentally noted not to speak about that to her again, since it had been a real pain getting her to open back up.

After a while, her visits to his lab became so consecutively, that he had a room prepared for her, where she would stay if she saw it fit. This, of course, caused him to make sure anything and everything fragile was kept secure. And everything else as well, for whenever she decided to stay. Which in turn, she did, way too often…

-

_He basically threw himself onto the bed, his eyes struggling just enough for him to turn off the lights and remove his glasses. Resting his head against the pillow, Mandark allowed himself to drift to sleep, exhausted after a hard day's work. The Black Eden was up and running; and the armor of the council members was fully prepared. Soon, he'd put his own plan to action. Soon, Dexter would meet his end. Soon, he would have he's oh so sweet revenge. But, now, all he wanted and needed was sleep._

_A very slight noise caused him to open his eyes, half wondering if it had been a dream or not, but he was answered when he saw Bell's wide white eyes staring at him. He forced himself to sit up, his vision terribly blurry due to the lack of glasses. He did, however, notice that she had her own pajamas on, meaning that she had to have gone to bed, and that she had GIR on her hands, hugging the dog-disguised robot._

"_Bell?" He spoke trying to hold back a yawn, to no avail. "What are you doing here? It's late, I though you went back to bed already…"_

"_Can't sleep…" Was all she spoke up, her tone a bit lower than what he had become accustomed to. Her eyes shifted to the side for a bit, but he couldn't tell if she was blushing or just looking at something that had suddenly caught her interest. "Why's that?"_

"…" _He just watched as she looked back at him, then turned back to look at whatever it was she found so fascinating. Before he tried to ask again, hoping for a response this time, she spoke. "Nightmares. Bad ones."_

_Mandark eyes widened, not that it helped his sight. Out of all the things they had talked about, never had she mentioned having nightmares. She had mentioned dreams, a few of them a bit too weird even for dreams, but never nightmares. "So, what do you want to-?"_

"_Hug me. Hug me. I'm so huggable!"_

_Had he not come to expect GIR's sudden randomness, he would have been startled. Bell, however, simply stood and eyed the room for a bit, before lowering herself and getting onto his bed. He felt himself surprised, but as much as he tried, he couldn't find a way to tell her to get off. He just watched for a bit, before resting himself back onto the bed. He positioned himself upwards, facing the ceiling, while Bell was positioned to the side, her back facing him, with GIR held tightly in her arms. What he noticed now was that she took up most of the pillow, not that he complained or anything…_

"_Susan…" Her voice made him reopen his eyes, but he didn't speak. He could practically feel her thinking, but she spoke quickly nonetheless. "We are going to win, right?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I mean…" She stopped, thinking of what it was she was trying to say. "Father's plans will succeed, and yours too. We won't lose, we won't die… Right?"_

"_Why are you asking…?" He stopped, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "Was the nightmare that bad?"_

"_Yeah…" He just thought for a moment, as she seemed to tighten her grip on GIR, who was staying awfully quiet much to Mandark's surprise. "Will I…" She began; he couldn't tell whether she had her eyes open or closed. "…be killed?"_

"_No." He didn't even think about, he didn't need to. He'd lost too much already; he wasn't going to lose her as well. "I won't let you die…"_

"_And you?"_

_He closed his eyes for the last time that night, taking a deep breath as he thought about it for a bit. He didn't know what outcome his future battle would have. He didn't know what Dr. X had planned, or how he fit into all of it now that he had done his part. But he still answered her, not knowing whether he was lying or not._

"_No… not yet…"_

-

When the time came, and everything was set into motion, Mandark made sure to focus every last ounce of his genius to make sure his plan would not fail. He checked, rechecked and checked again every slightest detail; until he was satisfied with the results. He learned how the three super heroines, famously dubbed as the Powerpuff Girls, had moved into Megaville, where Dexter currently resided in. He also learned how their leader, Blossom, had become romantically involved with his rival, much to his fortune.

And so, his revenge began. He sent Bell to retrieve the Powerpuff, much to her joy, since she loved beating the crap out of people. Even with how important this plan was; how important it was to him personally, he trusted no one else more than her to take care of it.

He tagged along as well; just to make sure things went alright. More over, he didn't want her to get hurt on his account. He knew those girls weren't easy. Thanks to Bell, and a rather large group of Darkstar Council members, Blossom was caught, and taken back to his laboratory.

It was then, at that time, even if he hadn't known it, that everything would be in vain. In every plan, there's a chance for failure. In every battle, there's a chance for loss. In every war, there's a chance someone may die…

It was after everything had been prepared, everything had been done, that she called him Susan… for the final time…

-

"_Alright then; water prison, check. My little armor, check. Giant fast-food endorsed Megabot, check…" With a final check mark written, Mandark tossed the checklist aside and turned his attention back to the screen, which displayed a rather bored Princess Samantha. "You know what to do." He spoke up, as she lazily looked at her own screen. "Let Dexter come in, keep everyone else out."_

"_Yeah, yeah. I got it." Was her solemn reply as she turned of the screen, while Mandark only smiled. He turned to look at Blossom, currently knocked out and lying on the cold hard floor. He hoped she'd wake up soon, no use having a hostage which can't act properly._

_But he didn't mind it, didn't mind anything. In just a few moments, Dexter would fall; and he would rise again. It was almost too good to be true…_

"_Susan." Bell called out to him, entering his laboratory, GIR in hand. He looked at her, and upon noticing that the box he had sent her to deliver no longer with her, he took it that she had done her part. "Message delivered."_

"_Good. A bit faster than what I expected, you're getting better."_

_She just smiled, turning her attention to Blossom. "Are you going to kill her?"_

"_Perhaps." Was his response, preparing the laboratory's intruder mechanisms. "I really don't care much for her. Dexter's the target." He continued. "Whether she lives or dies doesn't really matter. But I think Dr. X may want her dead, so…"_

"_I see." Bell just stared at the red head before shifted her attention back at the boy, who only stared back. "What do I do next?"_

"_Nothing really." Mandark spoke, smiling slightly. "You've already done enough. Dr. X did say for you to be back at Black Eden after delivering the message, it's almost past your bedtime."_

"_But-"_

"_No buts, you know how strict he is about that." Bell narrowed her eyes, apparently thinking. Mandark just continued. "Besides, I'm almost done here myself. Even the decorations have been put up, so I'll be joining you at Black Eden shortly."_

_Before she could answer, he walked up to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Such an action caused her too look up, her eyes meeting his and with a hint of confusion. "I'll be fine, don't worry."_

_She closed her eyes and nodded, turning herself and heading back to the entrance. Before she left, however, she stopped. He looked on, for a moment, wondering if she had anything else to say. He too wondered whether or not he had anything else to say, anything else he may have wanted her to know._

_No, not now. He had to do this first. After all of this was done, and his battle with Dexter came to a close, then, and only then, would he be able to move on and perhaps talk to her about other things that didn't consists of plans and fights. Only then, would he perhaps tell her about other things he didn't completely understand either. Bell, too, seemed to realize this, as she began to walk again. As the main door opened automatically, she exited it, but not before stopping again and speaking. "Bye… Susan."_

"_Good bye, Bell…"_

_With those words exchanged, she left, making the room regain its feel of darkness and solitude which he had become accustomed to. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then turned his attention back at the fallen Powerpuff…_

"_Wakey! Wakey!"_

-

So is the life of one such as himself. A man of science, mocked by his peers and would-be friends, going out against the world in order to prove his superiority above those of his rival. Going to the maximum in order to show Dexter the very same pain he had felt. But even so, even with all his determination and power, he still miscalculated.

He didn't know what it was that he miscalculated though. Maybe it was the fact that Dexter had become stronger since he had last fought him. Maybe it was the fact that Samantha had lost her own fight. Or maybe it was the arrival of the other two Powerpuff Girls which ultimately thwarted his plans.

Regardless of why it happened, he failed. As he always did. Dexter won, and he lost. He now just sat there, the self-destruction timer ticking away, as he heard the blonde Powerpuff asking about him. The black haired one answered that it was already too late, and the group of would-be super heroes left.

'Too late…' He thought to himself, his hand covering his face, his will to live now lost as his grand master plan. It had been too late for him ever since Dee Dee died, too late for him to be saved. Dexter should have killed him back then, maybe then, he wouldn't have to have lived suffering so much.

Then again, no, he thought as the clock reached a single digit. Perhaps, deeply inside of him, he was a bit grateful. Grateful at the fact that Dexter had allowed him to live a bit longer. Just enough time for him to meet her, and for once find somebody who could call him by that name. Maybe, just maybe. He would have been better of as Susan instead of Mandark. Maybe…

'Thank you…' He thought to himself, for one last time. A sincere smile graced his features, something which was so rare that he had forgotten how it felt…

"…Bell…"

* * *

I'm torn on whether or not I'd like to see Mandark return. For one, he is my favorite and I'd love for their relationship to grow, but then again, it may ruin the impact his death left behind. Guess it remains to be seen what Olga had planned, not to mention what his death has done to Bell, since she was a bit upset over the matter.

R&R!!


End file.
